Recipe - Latin Chicken and Rice Casserole

Latin Chicken & Rice Casserole (Cuban style Arroz Con Pollo)

Recipe - Chawanmushi (Japanese Savory Egg Custard)

Japanese Savory Egg Custard (Chawanmushi)

Chawanmushi is a savory custard unlike any dessert custard, and one of my favorite traditional Japanese dishes.  It's typically served as an appetizer, and it uses special cups, designed just for making Chawanmushi.  This recipe uses ingredients that my family enjoys, but you can get creative and use so many different fillings.  Chicken, spinach, bok choy, asparagus and peas. are also great in this dish!

Review - Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant - Seattle, WA

Green Leaf Restaurant

With all of the choices in the International District it can be difficult to find the good spots.  Thanks to the internet and sites like Yelp and Urbanspoon, restaurants are a little easier to choose.  More than reading reviews, I love to see the photos of the food - You can tell a lot from a photo!  So after visiting my Aunt and Uncle who live near the ID, we decided to finally try Green Leaf.

Review - Mr. Gyros - Seattle, WA

Mr. Gyros

I love this place!  This is our go to spot for Gyros!  There are two locations, one on Greenwood, and a newer location in Ballard.   The Ballard location is much bigger than the original Greenwood spot, and we live right in between the two.  I actually prefer the Greenwood location for takeout, Ballard is good if you plan to dine in since there is more seating. 

Review - Root Table - Ballard - Seattle, WA

Root Table

Entering into Root Table is how I imagine it feels to be transported to a treehouse in Thailand.  Everything is made from raw cuts of wood, some intricately carved into sculptures.  Each chair and table is unique.

Review - Revel - Fremont - Seattle, WA

Revel

I've been wanting to try Revel for a while now, so when some friends and I decided to get together for dinner I suggested we try Revel in Fremont.  It's located in the middle of the shopping and bar scene in Fremont and can easily be missed if you're not looking for it.  The restaurant is super small but attached to the swanky Quoin bar.  

Review - Mesa Grill - Las Vegas, NV

Mesa Grill

Sometimes it's difficult to write a review for a restaurant that you have been so repeatedly, it's hard to remember your initial reaction to the decor, the lighting, the overall ambiance.  If the food is good the first time, you will likely return a second.  If it's good the second and third times, you will likely become a regular.  I'll admit, the first time we dined at Mesa Grill, it was solely because I was hooked on watching Bobby Flay on Boy Meets Grill.  I followed a few of his recipes, and thought we might as well try one of his restaurants.

Review - Shiku Sushi

Shiku Menu

Shiku

It seems like Ballard has a sushi place on every corner lately.  Moshi Moshi (yuck, I got food poisoning there..), O'shan, the list goes on.  We finally decided to try Shiku.  

Review - Burma Superstar

Burma Superstar

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The first thing I had to figure out, what is Burmese food?  I mean, I understand it's from Burma, but I have never been exposed to this kind of cuisine.  This place gets amazing reviews, so we decided to give it a try, not knowing what to expect.  The only tip we'd had to was to try some tea leaf salad.  hmm...

Review - The Other Coast Cafe

The Other Coast Cafe

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I should have read a few reviews before going to The Other Coast, these sandwiches are enormous! I ordered a 12" sandwich, thinking I would eat half and save half for later, but OMG, it was huge! I have to guess it was closer to 18", these sandwiches are probably three meals for me!

Review - Lola (Dinner Review)

Lola - Dinner

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I have been to Lola numbers times for brunch, which is phenomenal, but this review is solely about a recent dinner expierience.  We were looking for a late night dinner spot, Lola was perfect!  Lola is located in the lobby of the Hotel Andra in Downtown Seattle... It's Tom Douglas's greek inspired restaurant.  Lola is always bustling, and the food is always consistently good... Just as I would expect from Tom Douglas!  

Jackie's Greek Salad $12

Jackie's Greek Salad with barrel aged feta was really outstanding.  The cucumbers were crunchy and the tomatoes were sweet and fresh.  It was a generous portion, perfect for sharing.

Review - Tango Tapas Restaurant & Lounge

Tango Restaurant & Lounge

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I've been to Tango a bunch of times, but I have to admit, I don't really remember any of the food I've tried in the past, I only remember El Diablo, which I will discuss more below...   It's been about a year since I have dined at Tango so on a Sunday evening, while in the area, my SO and I decided to go for some small bites and El Diablo... Actually, the small bites was just a cop out.  We were going there for El Diablo.

Lunch - Uwajimaya's Maki & Inari Sushi

Uwajimaya* Maki and Inari Sushi $6.29

I have to admit, had I not grown up eating these delectables, I would be a little afraid of their appearance. The dayglo pink fish cake? sounds and looks inedible.  Yellow stinky pickles? eww.  And brown unidentifiable pickled veggies - uh, I don't think so!  And to top it off, weird green powder stuff?!  Then there's the other sushi - what the hell are those wrinkly wet brown sacs???!!

Recipe - Vietnamese Noodle Salad (Bun)

Vietnamese Noodle Salad (Bun)

Serves 4

Recipe - Spicy Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Spicy Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Makes about 1 Cup of Sauce

Recipe - Vietnamese Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radish

Vietnamese Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radish

Review - Japonessa Sushi Cocina

Japonessa Sushi Cocina

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I am Japanese American.  Sometimes it feels awkward to say this, because my family is so much more American and so far from traditional Japanese, or even Japanese American, if you catch my drift.  My parents, and grandparents were born in the US.  No one in my family speaks, writes or reads Japanese.  Most of us have never even stepped foot in Japan.  However, the one thing most of us enjoy, is Japanese cuisine. (Uhh.. I can barely use chopsticks...)